# CUPS vs Thingsboard

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | CUPS | Thingsboard |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Device Management | #1 of 10 in IoT |
| GitHub stars | 1 787 | 22 615 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +34 | +145 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 24 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.4.20 · 5 Oct 2026 | v4.3.1.8 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | C | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Thingsboard scores 76/100 against 67/100 for CUPS, so it is the safer default.

Thingsboard ships more often: 24 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for CUPS.

If you want the quickest setup, CUPS is easier to run; Thingsboard needs more configuration.

Thingsboard is growing faster right now (+145 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [CUPS](https://selfhost.directory/project/cups) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/cups.md)
- [Thingsboard](https://selfhost.directory/project/thingsboard) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/thingsboard.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/cups-vs-thingsboard